2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tarzi
A surname with Persian origins referring to someone skilled in design or embroidery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Tarzi. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tarzi surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Tarzi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 41.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (31.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (24.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tarzi
The surname TARZI is believed to have originated in Afghanistan during the late 18th or early 19th century. It is thought to be derived from the Persian word "tarzi," which means "fashion" or "style," suggesting that the name may have been associated with tailors, dressmakers, or those involved in the textile industry.
One of the earliest records of the TARZI surname can be found in the writings of Afghan historian and poet, Mahmud Tarzi, who lived from 1865 to 1935. He is considered a prominent figure in the intellectual and cultural renaissance of Afghanistan during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Another notable figure with the TARZI surname is Ghulam Muhammad Tarzi, an Afghan politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1919 to 1921. He played a significant role in negotiating Afghanistan's independence from the British Empire.
In the literary realm, Abdul Hadi Dawi Tarzi, born in 1939, is a renowned Afghan poet and writer. His works have been widely celebrated and have contributed significantly to the preservation and promotion of Afghan culture and literature.
Moving to more contemporary figures, Wali Masoud Tarzi, born in 1954, is a former Afghan diplomat and politician who served as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and later as the Ambassador to Pakistan from 2002 to 2005.
It is worth mentioning that the TARZI surname has also been associated with various places in Afghanistan, such as Tarzi Bala and Tarzi Payeen, which are villages located in the Logar province of the country.
While the TARZI surname may have evolved over time and taken on different spellings or variations, its roots can be traced back to the rich cultural and historical tapestry of Afghanistan, where it has been carried by influential figures in literature, politics, and diplomacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tarzi
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 41.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (31.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (24.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tarzi bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Tarzi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White41.7% · 50
- Two or more races31.7% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander24.2% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tarzi
Tarzi appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Up 1,100 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Tarzi surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #143,149 | #142,049 | 0.8% |
| Count | 116 | 120 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tarzi bearers went from 116 to 120 (+3.4% change). The surname moved up 1,100 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #142,049.
FAQ
Tarzi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tarzi?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Tarzi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Tarzi?
Tarzi ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Tarzi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Tarzi.
Has Tarzi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tarzi went from 116 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 4 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #143,149 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Tarzi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tarzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 41.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (31.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (24.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tarzi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.7% (50 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tarzi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (41.7%), Two or More Races (31.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (24.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Tarzi (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Tarzi mean?
A surname with Persian origins referring to someone skilled in design or embroidery. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Tarzi (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Tarzi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.